S.  R.  S.  LiBRAKt. 
RESERVE. 


.ERR 
CONNECTICUT  To   1^^ 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station 

NEW  HAVEN,  CONN. 


BULLETIN  185,  JANUARY,  1915. 


TESTS   OF   SOY    BEANS,   1914. 


CONTENTS. 
Page 


Uses  of  Soy  Beans 3 

Tests  made  in  1914     ....  4 

Yield  of  Fresh  Forage  ....  5 

Dry  Matter 8 

"       Food  Ingredients  .    .  9 

Period  of  Growth 11 

The  Seed 11 


Pagre 

The  Seed  Yield 13 

Feeding  Value 13 

Resistance  to  Frost  and  Time 

of  Planting 15 

When  to  Plant 15 

How  to  Plant 16 

Varieties  to  Plant, 16 


Tlie  Bulletins  of  this  Station  are  mailed  free  to  citizens  of  Con- 
necticut who  apply  for  them,  and  to  others  so  far  as  the  editions 
permit. 


CONNECTICUT  AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION. 


OKKICERS     AND     STAFF. 


BOARD  OF   CONTROL. 

His  Excellency,  Marcus  H.  Holcomb,  e.v-officio,  Preside  tit. 

Prof.  H.  W.  Conn,  Vice  President  Middletown 

George  A.  Hopson,  Secretary  Walling  ford 

E.  H.  Jenkins,  Director  and  Treasurer New  Haven 

Joseph  W.  Alsop  Avon 

Wilson  H.  Lee    Orange 

Frank  H.    Stadtmueller    Elmwood 

James  H.  Webb  •  • Hamden 


Administration. 


E.  H.  Jenkins,  Ph.D.,  Director  and  Treasurer. 
Miss  V.  E.   Cole,  Librarian  and  Stenographer. 
Miss  L.  M.  Brautlecht,  Bookkeeper  and  Stenographer. 
William  Veitch, 7n  charge  of  Buildings  and  Grounds. 


Chemistry. 

Analytical  Laboratory.  John  Phillips  Street,  M.  S.,  Chemist  in  Charge. 
E.   Monroe  Bailey,   Ph.D.,  C.   B.  Morison,   B.S., 
C.   E.   Shepard,  G.   L.   Davis,  Assistants. 
Hugo  Lange,   Laboratory   Helper. 
V.    L.    Churchill,   Sampling  Agent. 
Miss  E.  B.  Whittlesey,  Stenographer. 

Proteid  Research.  T.   B.    Osborne,   Ph.D.,  Chemist  in   Charge. 

Miss  E.  L.  Ferry,  M.S.,  Assistant. 


Botany. 


G.    P.    Clinton,    Sc.D.,    Botanist. 
E.   M.   Stoddard,  B.S.,  Assistant  Botanist. 
Miss   E.    B.    Whittlesey,   Herbarium   Assistant. 
G.  E.  Graham,  General  Assistant. 


Entomology. 


W.  E.  Britton,  Fh.'D..  Entomologist ;  State  Entomologist. 
B.  H.  Walden,  B.Agr.,  First  Assistant. 
Q.  S.  LowRY,  B.Sc,  I.  W.  Davis,  B.Sc., 

M.  P.  Zappe,  B.S.  Assistants. 
Miss  F.  M.  Valentine,  Stenographer. 


Forestry. 


Walter   O.    Filley,    Forester;    also    State    Forester 

and  State  Forest  Fire   Warden. 
A.  E.  Moss,  M.  F.,  Assistant  Station  Forester. 
Miss   E.   L.   Avery,   Stenographer. 


Plant  Breeding. 


Plant  Breeder. 

C.  D.   HuBBELL,  Assistant. 


Vegetable    Growing. 


Howard  F.  Huber,  B.S. 


FIELD  TESTS  OF  SOY  BEANS,  1914.^ 


Bulletin  179  of  this  Station,  issued  in  October,  1913,  discuss- 
ed briefly  the  nature  and  possible  uses  in  this  State  of  the  Soy 
Bean.  Some  hints  as  to  planting  were  given,  as  well  as  data 
regarding  the  composition  both  of  the  forage  and  the  ripe 
beans. 

THE  USES  OF  THE  CROP. 

The  uses  of  the  crop  may  here  be  briefly  restated. 

It  is  a  valuable  catch  crop.  If  winter  grain,  fall  or  spring 
sown  clover,  or  grass  seed  fails,  soy  beans  drilled  solid  like 
grain  or  in  rows  from  24  to  30  inches  apart,  just  after  corn 
planting,  will  yield  a  soiling  crop  rich  in  protein  and  serving 
the  same  purpose  as  alfalfa  or  clover.  By  growing  both  early 
and  late  maturing  varieties,  perhaps  also  by  successive  plant- 
ings of  a  single  variety,  the  crop  may  be  used  for  feed  from 
late  July  till  heavy  frost. 

It  is  an  excellent  nitrogen-gatkering  green  manure  crop  in 
orchards.  Drilled  the  first  of  June  and  cultivated  twice  it 
makes  a  rank  growth  and  can  be  turned  under  in  time  for 
sowing  a  winter  cover  crop.  This  year  the  mature  crops  of 
different  varieties  carried  from  100  to  183  pounds  of  nitrogen 
per  acre.  AVhat  part  of  this  nitrogen  came  from  the  air  it  is 
of  course  impossible  to  determine.  The  average  crop  of  soy 
beans  in  1914  furnished  about  4500  pounds  of  dry  organic 
matter  and  135  pounds  of  nitrogen.  This  is  about  as  much 
organic  matter  as  is  carried  in  seven  tons  of  New  York  stable 
manure  and  as  much  nitrogen  as  in  nine  and  a  half  tons. 

As  a  seed  crop  it  is  sometimes  profitable,  depending  on  the 
state  of  the  market. 


*The  field  work  connected  with  these  tests  was  planned  and  carried  out  by  Mr. 
H.  K.  Hayes  and  his  assistant,  Mr.  Hubbell.  The  chemical  analyses  were  made 
under  the  direction  of  the  chief  chemist,  Mr.  J.  P.  Street.  The  results  have  been 
prepared  for  publication  by  the  director. 


4  CONNECTICUT    EXPERIMENT    STATION     BULLETIN     185. 

.Is  a  silage  crop  it  has  been  used  successfully.  i>uUing  into 
the  silo  one  load  of  soys  to  two  or  three  of  corn.  It  should 
not  be  silaged  by  itself  nor  can  it  be  profital)ly  j:)!anted  with  corn 
in  hills  or  drills. 

For  hay,  varieties  with  tender  stems  must  be  i^rown.  It 
will  probably  be  rather  difficult  to  cure  in  our  climate  and  may 
be  rather  coarse  for  dairy  food,  but  is  about  equal,  so  far  as 
chemical  analysis  indicates,  to  alfalfa  hay. 

Several  stations  make  \ery  fa\orable  reports  of  the  feeding 
value  of  soy  bean  forage  and  soy  bean  pasture  (for  hogs  )  and 
of  the  value  of  soy  bean  seed  as  a  concentrate  in  comparison 
with  cotton  seed  meal  and  linseed  meal. 

Cow  peas  have  about  the  same  season  of  growth  as  soy- 
beans and  are  more  used  in  the  Southern  States  as  a  green 
manure  or  for  feeding.  Soy  beans,  however,  seem  better 
suited  to  Connecticut  conditions  for  the  following  reasons  : 

They  are  more  resistant  to  drought  and  heat  and  also  to 
frosts  than  are  cow  peas,  hence  better  suited  to  our  light,  sandy 
soils.  Where  both  crops  do  well,  tests  in  Indiana  and  Ten- 
nessee indicate  that  in  the  yield  of  green  forage  there  is  no 
great  difference,  though  the  soys  yield  much  more  seed.  The 
soy  is  upright  in  habit,  the  cow  pea  recumbent  and  hence  hardei 
to  cut  and  handle.  The  seed  of  the  soy  is  a  much  more  concen- 
trated feed  than  that  of  the  cow  pea.  The  seed  of  the  former 
ripens  at  one  time  while  that  of  the  cow  pea  does  not  and  is 
harder  to  thresh. 

TESTS  MADE  IN  1914. 

During  the  past  season  further  tests  of  this  crop  have  been 
made  which  are  here  briefly  summarized.  Their  chief  object 
was  to  observe  the  characters  of  several  \arieties  and  their 
periods  of  growth,  in  order  if  possible  to  suggest  to  those  inter- 
ested a  number  of  varieties  which  could  be  planted  at  the  same 
time  but  which  would  mature  in  succession  and  pro\  ide  a  con- 
tinuous supply  of  green  feed  rich  in  protein  from  lale  |ul\-  dr 
early  August  until  frost.  Nineteen  varieties  ha\e  been  thus 
tested. 


USES    OF    THE    CROP.  b 

The  land,  which  had  been  set  with  apple  trees  forty  feet 
apart  each  way  and  now  in  their  fourth  year,  was  dressed  as 
usual  in  the  spring  with  150  pounds  each  of  nitrate  of  soda 
and  muriate  of  potash  and  300  pounds  each  of  tankage  and 
acid  phosphate  and  was  inoculated  by  sowing  on  it,  with  a 
fertilizer  distributor,  soil  from  a  field  where  soy  beans  had 
been  grown  for  two  years. 

The  field  was  cultivated  till  May  28th,  when  the  soy  beans 
were  drilled  in  rows  two  hundred  feet  long  and  30  inches  apart, 
the  single  plants  standing  about  3  inches  apart  in  the  row. 
Three  rows  of  each  variety  were  planted  in  this  way. 

These  crops  were  cultivated  twice  but  not  after  July  1st. 
Sufficient  rain  fell  in  the  spring  and  early  summer  to  give  the 
crops  a  favorable  start  and  they  did  not  sufifer  visibly  from 
lack  of  water  at  any  time,  although  in  September  the  drought 
was  so  severe  as  to  noticeably  affect  the  growth  of  ensilage 
corn. 

The  Yield  of  Fresh  Forage. 

Table  I  gives  the  data  regarding  the  crops  cut  for  green 
forage.     The  sources  of  the  seed  planted  are  as  follows  : 

Nos.  1  and  2,  selections  from  Professor  Klinck,  Macdonald 
College,  Quebec.  Quebec  537  looks  like  an  early  maturing 
strain  of  Ito  San. 

No.  3  from  the  Massachusetts  Station,  believed  by  Professor 

Brooks  to  be  the  same  as  Ito  San.  - 

No.  9  from  the  Ohio  Station,  came  originally  from  Profes- 
sor Brooks  of  the  Massachusetts  Station. 
No.  6  grown  by  us  last  year  from  seed  sent  by  L.  P. 
Nemzek,  Gibbsboro,  N.  J.,  who  reported  that  it  ^^as 
imported  from  Manchuria  in  1911  and  grown  in  Kentucky 
in  1912. 
No.  4  from  Mr.  Nemzek. 

No.  5,  7,  8,  14,  17  from  the  New  Jersey  Station. 
No.  12,  13,  15,  18,  19  from  the  Delaware  Station. 
Each  variety  was  cut  when  the  pods  were  well  formed  and 
the  lower  leaves  were  beginning  to  yellow.     Soon  after  this 
yellowing  begins  leaves  will  fall  rapidly  and  the  value  of  the 
crop  as  forage  declines  at  the  same  rate. 


CONNECTICUT    EXPERIMENT    STATION    BULLETIN     1X5. 


TABLE  I.     ANALYSES  OF  SOY  BEAN  FORAGE 


VARIETY. 

Data  Regarding 
Growth. 

Percentage  Composition  as 
Harvested. 

No. 

'Height 
1      of 
Plants. 

!  Inches. 

Days 

to 

Blossom. 

Days 

to 

Maturity. 

Water. 

Ash. 

Protein. 

1 
Fiber. 

Nitrogen- 
free 
Extract. 

Fat. 

1 

Quebec,  No.  92 

25 

52 

104 

78.3 

2.0 

4.1 

4.9 

8.8 

1.9 

2 

Quebec,  No.  537 

30 

57 

110 

72.5 

2.4 

5.1 

7.0 

11.1 

1.9 

3 

Medium  Yellow 

42 

62 

116 

73.9 

2.6 

5.0 

6.5 

10.3 

1.7 

4 

Ito  San   .... 

40 

62 

116 

70.3 

2  6 

5.0 

7.8 

12.3 

2.0 

5 

Ito  San   .... 

40 

62 

116 

72.7 

2.3 

5.0 

7.5 

10.5 

2.0 

6 

Kentucky  .    .    . 

45 

66 

118 

71.9 

2.4 

5.0 

7.0 

11.9 

1.8 

7 

Manhattan    .    . 

42 

62 

118 

70.4 

2.5 

5.5 

7.5 

12.0 

2.1 

8 

Ebony     .    .    .    . 

44 

66 

118 

69.8 

2.6 

5.6 

8.4 

11.9 

1.7 

9 

Medium  Green 

43 

67 

120 

59.7 

3.3 

6.9 

12.0 

15.5 

2.6 

10 

Mongol*     .    .    . 

48 

74 

124 

69.3 

2.6 

3.3 

11.2 

12.4 

1  2 

11 

Mikado*      .    .    . 

42 

74 

124 

76.8 

1.9 

2.7 

7.3 

10.1 

1.2 

12 

Peking    .    .    .    . 

40 

84 

124 

65.5 

3.0 

5.2 

11.9 

13.2 

1.2 

13 

O'Kute    .    .    .    . 

40 

68 

124 

76.0 

2.0 

4.5 

7.2 

8.9 

1.4 

14 

Wilson     .    .    .    . 

50 

66 

124 

61.9 

3.2 

7.1 

12.0 

14.0 

l.s 

15 

Arlington  .    .    . 

50 

78 

124 

68.1 

2.4 

3.9 

11.4 

12.9 

1.3 

16 
17 

Hollybrook*  .    . 
Swan   -   .    .   .   . 

48 
46 

82 
78 

130 
130 

71.9 
75.8 

2.8 
2.1 

3.7 
4.4 

8.6 

7.4 

12.3 
9.3 

0.7 
1.0 

18 

Morse 

52 

75 

130 

73.7 

2.7 

5.0 

7.4 

10.1 

1.1 

19 

Cloud 

52 

86 

135 

64.9 

3.3 

4.9 

12.3 
8.6 

13.7 

U.9 

Averages  .   . 

70.7 

2.6 

4.8 

11.7 

1.6 

*Yield  reduced  by  unfavorable  position  in  the  field,  excluded  from  average. 


SOY    BEAN     FORAGE. 


GROWN  AT  MT.  CARMEL  FIELD,  1914. 


Percentage  Composition, 
Water-free. 

Yield  in  Pounds  Per  Acre. 

Ash. 

Protein. 

Fiber. 

Nitrogen- 
free 
Extract. 

Fat, 

Total. 

Dry 

Matter. 

Protein, 

Fiber. 

Nitrogen- 
free 
Extract. 

Fat. 

Nitro- 
gen. 

9.1 

19.0 

22.9 

40.2 

8.8 

15,106 

3,277 

624 

749 

1,317 

287 

100 

8.6 

18.7 

25.6 

40.1 

7.0 

17,980 

4,936 

923 

1,265 

1,986 

345 

148 

10.0 

19.0 

24.9 

39.8 

6.3 

21,100 

5,511 

1,049 

1,369 

2,194 

348 

168 

8.8 

16.8 

26.2 

41.4 

6.8 

15,655 

4,643 

778 

1,218 

1,922 

315 

125 

8.4 

18.2 

27.6 

38.6 

7.2 

13,200 

3,602 

657 

994 

1,389 

259 

105 

8.6 

17.7 

25.1 

42.1 

6.5 

17,624 

4,947 

876 

1,243 

2,087 

319 

140 

8.4 

18.6 

25.5 

40.4 

7.1 

21,240 

6,287 

1,166 

1,606 

2,536 

448 

186 

8.6 

18,7 

27.7 

39.4 

5.6 

19,428 

5,865 

1,094 

1,624 

2,308 

332 

175 

8.2 

17.0 

29.7 

38.6 

6.5 

12,938 

5,208 

886 

1,550 

2,007 

340 

142 

8.5 

10.8 

36.6 

40.3 

3.8 

11,395 

3,498 

377 

1,280 

1,410 

134 

8.2 

11.8 

31.4 

43.6 

5.0 

5,389 

1,247 

148 

392 

544 

62 

8.8 

15.1 

34.5 

38.1 

3.5 

15,271 

5,277 

797 

1,820 

2,008 

183 

128 

8.2 

18.6 

30.2 

37.0 

6.0 

15,996 

3,845 

717 

1,160 

1,422 

230 

115 

8.3 

18.5 

31.4 

37.1 

4.7 

14,793 

5,639 

1,044 

1,769 

2,095 

265 

167 

7.4 

12.1 

35.8 

40.6 

4.1 

19,063 

6,077 

738 

2,175 

2,465 

250 

118 

10.0 

13.3 

30.5 

43.6 

2.6 

14,241 

4,000 

531 

1,222 

1,742 

104 

8.7 

18.0 

30.8 

38.3 

4.2 

19,306 

4,668 

842 

1,440 

1,784 

195 

135 

10.1 

18.8 

28.0 

39.0 

4.1 

16,291 

4,283 

806 

1,197 

1,670 

178 

129 

9.3 

13.9 

35.1 

39.2 

2.5 

16,187 

5,672 

787 

1,991 

2,224 

142 

126 

8.8 

16.4 

29.3 

40.0 

5.5 

16,949 

4,984 

860 

1,488 

1,963 

277 

139 

8  CONNECTICUT    EXPERIMENT    STATION    BULLETIN    185. 

The  acre  yields  are  calculated  frcjm  the  weif^ht  of  crop  on  an 
accurately  measured  portion  of  a  row.  usually  about  100  feet. 
This  equals  1/174  of  an  acre.  It  is  Ijut  a  small  fraction  of  an 
acre,  and  the  rows  were  not  duplicated.  The  yields  given  in 
the  table,  therefore,  may  not  represent  ver}^  closely  the  relative 
productiveness  of  the  several  varieties.  Reference  to  the 
table  which  gives  the  acre  yields,  with  the  analyses  from  which 
they  are  calculated,  shows  that  the  yields  of  fresh  forage 
ranged  from  6j^  to  lOj/2  tons  per  acre  and  averaged  about 
8y^  tons.  In  the  same  year  the  fresh  forage  from  seven  differ- 
ent varieties  of  ensilage  corn  raised  at  Granby  on  the  farm 
of  M.  C.  Hayes,  planted  May  28th  and  cut  September  7th. 
ranged  from  17.9  to  26.4  tons,  averaging  21j/4  tons,  per  acre 
and  at  Mt.  Carmel  from  17.3  to  24.6  tons,  averaging  19'/^  tons 
per  acre. 

The  Yield  of  Dry  Matter. 

The  soy  beans  yielded  from  1.6  to  3.1  tons  per  acre  of  dry 
matter,  the  average  being  2^^  tons,  while  the  corn  at  Granby 
yielded  from  3.9  to  5.0  tons,  averaging  4.3  tons,  and  at  I\It. 
Carmel,  from  3.4  to  6.7  tons,  averaging  5  tons  per  acre. 

These  figures  indicate  that  ensilage  corn  may  be  expected 
roughly  speaking  to  yield  two  and  a  half  times  as  much  fresh 
forage  and  twice  as  much  dry  matter  per  acre  as  soy  bean 
forage. 

A  brief  notice  of  the  yields  of  corn  planted  in  another  part 
of  the  State  (Granby)  may  be  of  interest  here  and  will  be 
more  fully  discussed  in  a  future  ])ublication.  In  1*'13  Mr. 
Hayes  gave  the  land  a  fair  dressing  of  yard  manure  and  grew 
a  fine  crop  of  ensilage  corn.  In  1^'14  the  field  receixed  1.000 
pounds  of  a  commercial  corn  manure  before  i>lanting  the 
varieties  named  below.  Three  rows  each  of  se\en  varieties 
were  planted  May  28  side  l)y  side,  the  rows  three  feet  apart 
and  carefully  thinned  to  an  e\en  stand  oi  two  jilants  every 
18  inches.  The  whole  field  was  cultivated  alike.  On  Sepuni- 
ber  8th  the  crop  was  harvested.  .Ml  Aarieties  were  in  the 
milk  stage  except  I'unk's  .^iher  King,  which  was  scarce!}"  as 


SOY    BEAN    FORAGE.  V 

far  advanced,  and  Eureka  in  which  the  ears  had  formed  but 
had  not  yet  developed  kernels.  From  the  center  row  the  crop 
was  cut  from  exactly  100  feet,  carefully  weighed  and  analyzed. 

In  this  region  frost  is  looked  for  by  the  second  week  in 
September. 

The  varieties,  with  the  acre  yields  in  tons  of  fresh  forage 
and  of  dry  matter  were  as  follows: — (The  average  yield  of 
each  ingredient  is  sriven  in  Table  II. 


Gelston's  Ensilage 

22.85 

5.03 

Howe's  Conn.  Dent 

20.33 

4.58 

Brewer's  Dent  x  King 

Phillip 

20.73 

4.47 

Brewer's  Dent 

20.32 

4.20 

Eureka 

26.40 

3.99 

Funk's  Silver  King 

22.60 

3.94 

Funk's  Ninety  Day 

17.90 

3.94 

The  seed  of  these  varieties  was  from  the  following  sources  : 
Gelston's  Ensilage  from  William  I.  Gelston,  East  Haddam; 
Howes'  Conn.  Dent  from  C.  L.  Howes,  Stamford ;  Brewer's 
Dent  X  King  Phillip,  a  first  generation  cross  made  at  this 
station;  Brewer's  Dent  from  N.  Howard  Brewer,  Hock- 
anum;  Eureka  from  Ross  Bros.,  Worcester,  Mass.;  Funk's 
Silver  King  and  Ninety  Day  from  Funk  Seed  Co.,  Blooming- 
ton,  111. 

The  Yield  of  Food  Ingredients. 

In  the  following  table  are  given  the  average  number  of 
pounds  per  acre  of  food  ingredients  from  sixteen  varieties  of 
soy  beans,  from  the  seven  varieties  of  ensilage  corn  grown  by 
Mr.  Hayes,  at  Granby,  and  from  a  year's  yield,  three  cuttings, 
of  alfalfa,  grown  by  Mr.  C.  M.  Jarvis,  of  Berlin,  which  was 
weighed  and  analyzed  by  the  Station  from  a  measured  acre 
of  land. 


10         CONNECTICUT    EXPERIMENT   STATION    BULLETIN    185. 


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soy  beans,   period  of  growth.  11 

Period  of  Growth. 

Table  I  gives  the  number  of  days  which  elapsed  between 
planting  and  appearance  of  the  first  blossoms,  as  well  as  the 
number  of  days  from  planting  to  the  time  when  the  leaves 
began  to  yellow  and  the  seeds  were  nearly  full  grown  but  still 
soft.  Probably  at  this  latter  time  the  yield  per  acre  is  great- 
est, though  the  per  cent,  of  protein  would  be  somewhat  greater 
a  little  earlier. 

Under  our  conditions  the  crop  is  in  good  shape  to  feed  green 
from  the  time  of  blossom  on  to  full  maturity.  Quebec  92  plant- 
ed May  28th  could  be  used  for  soiling  from  the  last  week  of 
July,  that  being  the  very  earliest  variety  to  mature  (among  the 
tested  varieties)  and  it  would  quickly  lose  its  leaves,  and  pro- 
portionally its  feeding  value,  after  the  first  week  in  September. 
Quebec  537  is  very  little  later.  Next  come  Medium  Yellow, 
Ito  San,  Manhattan,  Ebony,  O'Kute,  Wilson,  and  Medium 
Green,  which  could  be  fed  from  about  the  first  of  August  to  the 
middle  of  September. 

In  the  next  group  are  Morse,  Swan,  Arlington,  Mikado 
and  Mongol  ready  to  feed  by  August  15th  and  lasting,  weather 
permitting,  till  October  1.  Lastly  come  the  late  varieties — • 
Hollybrook,  Peking  and  Cloud.  Hollybrook  has  matured  and 
ripened  its  seed  perfectly  for  the  last  two  years,  in  which 
killing  frost  was  late  in  coming.  In  this  State  it  probably 
cannot  be  depended  on  for  seed  every  year,  but  is  an  excellent 
variety  for  soiling.  It  will  be  noticed  that  Hollybrook,  Mongol 
and  Mikado  gave  but  a  very  small  yield,  being  grown  on  a 
poorer  soil  and  more  shaded. 

The  Soy  Bean    Seed. 

Of  the  three  rows  of  each  variety,  the  middle  row  was  care- 
fully thinned  as  soon  as  the  seedlings  appeared,  so  that  the  plants 
stood  about  three  inches  apart  in  the  row.  From  a  carefully 
measured  portion  of  this  row  the  mature  vines  were  pulled, 
separately  stacked  and  later  threshed  in  a  Koger  thresher  and 
the  seed  weighed.  The  general  habit  of  the  different  varieties 
may  be  described  as  follows : 


12         CONNECTICUT    EXPERIMENT    STATION    BULLETIN     185. 


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SOY  BEAN    SEED.  13 

Erect;  Quebec  No.  92,  Peking,  Medium  Green,  O'Kute, 
Mikado,  Mongol,  HoUybrook.  Nearly  or  fairly  erect;  Quebec 
No.  537,  Medium  Yellow,  Ito  San,  Wilson,  Arlington,  Swan, 
Morse.  Erect  hut  falls  easily ;  Manhattan,  Ebony.  Tzvining 
habit,  thin  stems  ;  Cloud. 

The  color  of  seeds  may  be  described  as  follows : — ■ 
Yellow,  uncolored  eye;  Quebec  No.  537,  Medium  Yellow, 
Ito  San,  Manhattan.  Yellow,  brown  or  black  eye ;  Quebec  No. 
92,  Swan,  Mikado,  HoUybrook.  Greenish  yellow;  O'Kute. 
Dark  Green,  black  eye;  Medium  Green.  Olive  green;  Mongol. 
Light  yellow;  Morse.  Black;  Ebony,  Peking,  Wilson,  Ar- 
lington, Cloud. 

Regarding  color  of  blossoms ;  Hiollybrook  and  Morse  were 
white,  Kentucky,  Peking  Arlington  and  Swan  were  purple 
white  and  all  other  varieties  named  in  the  table  were  purple. 

The  results  of  the  seed  examination  appear  in  Table  III. 

The  weights  of  100  dried  seeds  of  each  variety  give  an  idea 
of  their  relative  size.  The  table  also  shows  the  composition 
of  the  dry  matter  of  the  seed  and  the  calculated  yield  in 
bushels  (60  pounds)  of  seed  containing  12  per  cent,  of  mois- 
ture. 

Yield  of  Seed. 

The  last  column  but  one  of  the  table  gives  the  calculated 
yield  per  acre  in  bushels.  The  yields  of  five  varieties  were 
very  low  because  they  were  imperfectly  threshed.  Ebony, 
Peking,  AVilson  and  Arlington,  as  the  last  column  shows,  are 
small  seeded  and  would  not  be  grown  for  the  feeding  value 
of  the  seed.  The  yield  of  Medium  Green  is  somewhat  un- 
certain. Excluding  these  9  varieties,  the  average  yield  of  the 
9  varieties  which  had  seed  of  medium  to  large  size  is  28.1 
bushels. 

The  Feeding  Value  of  the  Seed. 

Table  III  gives  the  average  composition  of  the  dry  matter 
of  the  seed. 

Table  IV  gives  the  average  composition  and  digestible  matter 
of  soy  beans,  cotton  seed  meal  and  new  process  linseed  meal, 
as  determined  by  analyses  made  at  this  Station  and  calculated 
to  a  uniform  content  of  10  per  cent,  of  moisture. 


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SOY  BEANS,   TIME   OF   PLANTING.  15 

The  table  shows  that  soy  beans  contain  about  the  same  a- 
mount  of  digestible  feed  as  cotton  seed  meal,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  five  per  cent,  more  of  digestible  oil. 

Soy  beans  are  as  concentrated  a  feed  stuff  as  we  have,  prob- 
ably about  as  valuable  for  feed  as  cotton  seed  meal.  A  good 
crop  of  soy  beans,  30  bushels  to  the  acre,  would  yield  as  much  con- 
centrated feed  as  1800  lbs.  of  cotton  seed  meal,  costing  some- 
where about  $29.70  at  present  prices.  At  present  soy  bean 
seed  sells  for  about  $1.50  per  bushel,  which  would  bring  $45.00 
for  the  30  bushels  of  seed. 

Resistance  to  Frost  and  Time  of  Planting. 

Last  year  the  HoUybrook  variety  stood  in  the  field  until 
near  the  end  of  November  and  there  were  hard  frosts  before 
its  seed  got  hard,  yet  it  ripened  perfectly  and  the  seed  was 
used  for  planting  this  year. 

This  year  the  same  variety  was  frosted  in  September  so 
that  the  upper  leaves  of  the  plants  were  killed  but  the  crop 
matured  perfectly. 

In  the  Country  Gentleman  of  August  2,  1913,  a  correspon- 
dent reports  volunteer  seedlings  of  the  Wilson  variety  from 
seed  of  a  previous  crop  which  had  lain  in  the  ground  all 
winter  and  was  not  injured  by  spring  frosts. 

The  same  correspondent  also  reports  April  plantings  which 
were  struck  by  an  unusually  hard  frost  May  11,  which  killed 
the  leaves,  but  within  a  week  new  leaves  started  and  made  a 
good  growth  which  was  cut  for  hay  in  September.  He  claims 
that  soy  beans  can  be  planted  at  any  time  from  the  middle  of 
April — oat  planting  time — to  July  1.  There  is  no  great  difference 
in  time  of  maturing  between  early  and  late  plantings,  but  the 
former  give  the  larger  yields. 

When  to  Plant. 

Not  later  than  July  1st  and  probably  at  corn  planting  time. 
In  view  of  our  experience  with  the  HoUybrook  variety  and 
the  statements  of  others  regarding  the  hardiness  of  soy  beans, 
we  plan  to  try  seedings  of  Hbllybrook  every  two  weeks  through 
May  and  June,  but  cannot  recommend  planting  earlier  than 
corn. 


16         CONNECTICUT    EXPERIMENT    STATION    BULLETIN    185. 

Hdw  T(j  Plant. 

The  best  distance  of  planlin<^-  will  depend  of  course  on  the 
variety,  the  character  of  soil,  etc.  The  best  A'ields  reported 
recently  in  tests  made  in  different  parts  of  Ohio  were  from 
seed  drilled  21  to  28  inches  apart,  using  three  to  four  pecks 
to  the  acre. 

The  Indiana  Station  found  that  rows  24  to  28  inches  apart 
gave  better  results  than  wider  planting.  The  average  of  nine 
years'  tests  showed  the  highest  yield  of  seed  and  tlie  most  hay 
where  the  beans  were  drilled  solid,  using  60  lbs.  of  seed  to  the 
acre.  For  this  method  the  ordinar}^  grain  drill  is  used,  set 
for  1^ — 2  bushels  of  oats.  This  will  require  1 — 1^/2  bushels 
of  soy  beans  of  the  usual  size. 

In  drilling  in  rows,  set  the  drill  for  2-2^  bushels  of  oats  per 
acre,  which  will  take  about  25 — 30  lbs.  of  soy  beans  of  the 
ordinary  size. 

Varieties  to  Plant. 

A  single  year's  test  is  of  course  quite  inadequate  to  deter- 
mine which  varieties  are  the  most  promising  or  profitable. 
After  our  two  years'  observation  of  the  growth  and  frost- 
resistance  of  Hollybrook  variety,  we  believe  it  is  quite  safe  to 
recommend  it  to  any  one  who  wishes  to  try  growing  soy  beans 
for  either  soiling,  hay,  or  green  manure.  In  a  favorable  sea- 
son it  will  certainly  ripen  seed  also  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  State.  Until  we  have  tested  further  we  should  recommend 
planting  not  earlier  than  corn,  nor  later  than  June  15th. 

We  wish  to  have  this  variety  tested  in  different  parts  of 
this  State  with  reference  to  its  yield  of  green  forage  or  hay, 
time  of  maturity  and,  if  possible,  its  value  as  feed,  and  shall 
be  glad  to  supply  seed  enough  for  a  half  acre  or  more  to  a 
limited  number  of  persons  who  will  test  it  carefully  and 
report  results  fully. 

To  sum  up  a  single  year's  obser\ations  of  the  nineteen  varie- 
ties tested,  all  of  which  were  planted  on  the  28th  and  29th 
of  May,  in  each  of  the  following  lists  the  \arieties  arc  named 
in  order  of  their  yield  of  forage,  the  highest  yield  ct)ming  first. 

The  earliest  varieties- — Manhattan,  Medium  Yellow,  Que- 
bec and  Ito  .^an  bloomed  in  from  55  to  60  davs  and  could  be 


VARIETIES   OF   SOY   BEAXS.  17 

cut  for  soiling.  Their  a\erage  yield  when  the  foliage  was 
mature  was  2.35  tons  of  dry  matter. 

The  next  group  of  varieties,  blossoming  between  62  and  75 
days,  was  Ebony,  Wilson.  Medium  Green,  Kentucky  and 
O'Kute.  These  when  mature  had  an  average  yield  of  2.48 
tons  dry  matter. 

The  later  varieties,  blossoming  between  7S  and  86  days — 
Arlington,  Cloud  and  Swan — yielded  an  average  of  2.83  tons. 

The  Hollybrook,  as  we  have  noted,  was  planted  in  an  unfa- 
vorable place  and  its  yield  cannot  be  directly  compared  with 
that  of  the  others.  We  are  satisfied,  however,  that  under  uniform 
conditions  it  yields  at  least  as  much  as  most  of  the  varieties 
tested. 

A  prominent  dairyman  of  this  State,  who  planted  the  Holly- 
brook  variety  in  1914  as  a  summer  soiling  crop,  reports  that 
while  he  has  no  data  as  to  yield,  etc..  the  feed  was  relished 
by  his  dairy  herd  and  was  very  satisfactory  in  its  effect  on  the 
milk  yield. 


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